June 12th, 2020 – 12:30 PM
Little River Canyon National Preserve –
The following statement was released on Friday afternoon from the Little River Canyon National Preserve:
On the afternoon of Thursday, June 11, 2020, around 5:20 PM, an 18-year-old male from Jefferson County was floating on the river above Little River Falls with friends.
The individual’s friends got off the river approximately 80 feet before the waterfall, but the individual was caught up in the current and last seen going over the waterfall and he never resurfaced from the pool below.
First responders were immediately dispatched and on-scene within minutes and a search and rescue operation was initiated.
National Park Service rangers, Fischer Rescue Squad, Fort Payne Fire Department, DeKalb Ambulance Service, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency troopers all responded to the scene for the rescue and recovery.
Divers from Fischer Rescue Squad located the body of the victim and recovered him at 6:37 PM.
The victim was brought out of the canyon and turned over to the DeKalb County Coroner’s Office around 7:45 PM.